India has experienced a disturbing decline in the number of girls compared
with boys in the last decade due to selective-sex abortion and infanticide,
according to data compiled in a booklet by the Indian government and the United
Nations Population Fund (UNFPA). The problem stems from a traditional preference
for sons, who carry forward the family name and occupation and support elderly
parents, compared with daughters, who require a dowry and are viewed as "paraya
dhan" (to be married and sent away).